


Casualties

by Gray Shadows (the_afterlight)



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 00:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13111734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_afterlight/pseuds/Gray%20Shadows
Summary: "It's the bloody mountains," he swore, turning to look over his shoulder at Wedge. Ahead of them, wordless and blank, the witch piloted her own armor with the mindless focus of the slave crown. It gave him an itch between his shoulder blades that no scratching could alleviate."What about 'em?" Wedge asked, turning up from the readouts on his armor. "I mean, they're... nice? As mountains go?" He tapped at one of his screens, as if trying to free it up. "Ugh, this ice is theworst.""Exactly." Biggs rolled out his neck and called a halt. Wedge stopped a moment later, and ahead of them, the witch came quickly and adeptly to a halt. "Whatever's got these mountains frozen up all year, that's what's causing this snow. It's notnormal, not with summer down there." He nodded his head in the general direction of the Figaro desert. "I mean, at least Figaro gets seasons, even if they’re all too hot to matter. What does Narshe get? Snow, snow, then more bloody snow."





	Casualties

**Author's Note:**

> Written for artemi in the ngplus.net 2017 Secret Santa.

The snows of Narshe swirled around the feet of the Magitek armor as it trudged across the plains; in the distance, Biggs could see them fading down into the green swathes of the Figaro countryside, but for now, whatever kept Narshe frozen and ice-bound still held sway. "It's the bloody mountains," he swore, turning to look over his shoulder at Wedge. Ahead of them, wordless and blank, the witch piloted her own armor with the mindless focus of the slave crown. It gave him an itch between his shoulder blades that no scratching could alleviate. 

"What about 'em?" Wedge asked, turning up from the readouts on his armor. "I mean, they're... nice? As mountains go?" He tapped at one of his screens, as if trying to free it up. "Ugh, this ice is the _worst_."

"Exactly." Biggs rolled out his neck and called a halt. Wedge stopped a moment later, and ahead of them, the witch came quickly and adeptly to a halt. "Whatever's got these mountains frozen up all year, that's what's causing this snow. It's not _normal_ , not with summer down there." He nodded his head in the general direction of the Figaro desert. "I mean, at least Figaro gets seasons, even if they’re all too hot to matter. What does Narshe get? Snow, snow, then more bloody snow."

Wedge sighed as he pulled out a ration bar from his back and peeled back the paper wrapping. "Maybe the altitude?" he asked. "I mean, they are mountains. You get snow up in the mountains no matter what time of year, right?"

Biggs shook his water canteen and rolled his eyes; it was empty. He'd have to hope they found a good water source soon. "Yeah, but we're not actually that high up. I tell you, it's something else going on." He threw his canteen into his pack and shrugged. "We've gotta be close. You got a distance readout?"

"Nah, that's frozen up, too. Feels like my balls are gonna freeze off, at this rate."

"Wedge, I have no desire to hear about the state of your balls." Biggs gave a little wave, and the three turned once more back to their advance.

* * *

When Narshe appeared in the distance, Biggs wanted to get out of his armor and kiss the ground, except that he thought his lips would freeze off in the process. "How does anyone live like this?" he asked, incredulous. "It's just getting colder the closer we get!" 

"Fur coats?" Wedge mused, unable to hide his laughter. "You city boys, you're such weaklings when it comes to real weather."

"Vector hasn't had snow in a decade." Biggs was sullen. "I didn't even see it for the first time until I was twelve. You can't blame me for not being used to it. And don't say that Tzen is any better with it, you haven't had snow in just as long."

Wedge shook his head. "No, you're right, but I wasn't born in Tzen. My parents moved down there from one of the mountain villages when I was three. Said they didn't want to raise me like a goat, or something, I don't know. We went back to visit my grandparents in the mountains once a year or so."

Snorting, Biggs looked over at Wedge. "So that explains your manners," he said, chuckling. "You're half goat. That makes everything make so much more sense."

"Oh, shut up."

Narshe was approaching swiftly, and Biggs called one last halt when they were only a few minutes out. "Hey, you ready for this?" he asked Wedge, who nodded. The witch only stared at them, her eyes soulless and empty, and Biggs wished again that he could have had any other assignment than this. The witch or the snow, either one would have been... doable... but together?

He didn't know which was more frozen.

"C'mon," he said, wheeling his armor about and heading into the town. "Let's do this and get out of here."

The Narshe militia didn't put up much of a resistance, Biggs knew that, but he was surprised by how quickly they were mowed down, even with the Magitek beam weapons built into the armor. "God, I've never used one of these things on people before."

"Don't think about it," Wedge advised. "It's easier that way."

"Dunno that I want it to be easy," Biggs countered. "The dogs are whatever, they're no different than the monsters we face, but..."

"But it's different when they can talk back at you?" Wedge shrugged. "Hey, it's not the first time people have done this. You know that the Magitek cavalry was instrumental in the Albrook offensive."

Biggs nodded as another group of Narshe men approached the armors, swords in hand. He didn't even have to charge up his armor's weapons again before a wave of fire swept forward from the witch's hands, sending the men flying back against a wall, smoking and unconscious. Or dead. "I know," he replied, as if nothing had happened. "And, hey, it could be worse. At least it's just... a couple of us. Can you imagine if Kefka'd had his way? It would have been half the bloody army, and there'd be nothing left of the town at all."

"God, really? I didn't know he wanted to get involved."

"I guess it's the esper," Biggs explained. They were through the town proper at this point and approaching the entrance to the mines. "Through here," he added. "Reports said it was found in a mine shaft, right? I can't imagine they were able to move it, not easily. It's gotta be through here somewhere."

The mines were empty of people, but monsters abounded: rats and slimes and little fey men, whispers of ideas of what a person was like. "I hate these things," Wedge announced, casually, as if announcing the weather. "But I suppose it could be worse."

Biggs slammed open a gate with his armor, smashing the hastily-built construction to pieces in an instant. "Yeah, some of these mines have some serious monsters to-- Look out!" he cried. His armor's servos whined with stress as he slammed levers to the side. Lightning flashed between him and Wedge as his armor dove out of the way; it almost tumbled before he was able to right it. "Dammit! You okay?" 

"Fine, yeah," Wedge reported. Biggs glanced at the witch, and she seemed to be fine, too. "What the fuck _is_ this thing?"

Through the open gate, a giant, snail-like creature had slithered, its spiked shell crackling with energy. "Oh, God, it's a whelk," Biggs swore. "You heard of them?"

"Nasty things, don't hit the shell?" Wedge asked, and Biggs nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of 'em. Never seen one." 

Biggs spun up the armor's weapons, bringing them back online after his dodge sent them out of alignment. "Let's take care of this thing," he said. The witch was already flinging fire at its head, with carefully focused streams that avoided coming anywhere near the shell itself. "And then find this esper, and get the _fuck_ home."

It didn't take long, in the end. Despite being a tough little monster, the whelk didn't stand a chance against the Magitek weaponry. "I think you might have actually cracked the shell," Wedge said, bewildered. His armor was smoking slightly where it had been struck by the whelk's lightning, but he was otherwise unscathed. "I mean, you wouldn't have managed that if you hadn't _hit the bloody shell_ in the first place, but it's still kind of impressive."

"Oh, whatever." Biggs rolled his eyes. "I didn't know it was going to hide right then, I thought I still had time." He nodded them forward, and they trudged through the broken, shattered gate and into the next chamber. "Hey, what's that glow?"

When Wedge replied, his voice was filled with wonder. "I'm going to guess it's the esper." He pointed; ahead of them, on a raised 'stage' of stone, was a giant, ice-encaptured creature. The ice was so perfectly clear that Biggs could see through it, like glass, to the esper inside, a bird-like entity with bright, crimson scales and a rainbow of shimmering feathers across its furled wings. "I... I didn't think it would be _beautiful_."

"No, it's-- You hear about them being _monstrous_ ," Biggs agreed. "This is... What _is_ this?" The air was starting to shimmer around the esper, tendrils of blue radiance snaking out in all directions. "Hey, what's happening?"

The witch pushed her armor forward, closer to the esper, and Wedge swore. "Get back from there!" he cried, but she ignored him, staring at the esper with the same blank gaze she'd had since she was first assigned to them. "Dammit, Biggs, I think she's causing this!"

"What do you-" Biggs saw a flash of the blue light spread out from the esper; it engulfed Wedge, and then it hit him, and he knew nothing more.

* * *

Terra walked into the cavern at the back of the mines and knelt down at a scorch mark on the floor, the only trace that there'd been anything like a battle there. In her pocket, Valigarmanda's magicite hummed, and she'd swear it felt... apologetic. Mournful. "I know," she said, getting up and dusting off her hands. "But there's nothing either of us could have done. Besides, they killed... so many people.”

“I’d say they were just following orders.” Celes came up behind her, one hand resting on Terra’s shoulder. “But I don’t think that makes it any better.”

Terra shook her head. “Are they really that much different than either of us?” she asked. “The more that I think about them, the more I remember them talking as we traveled. Biggs had a wife back home in Vector, and Wedge’s grandparents relied on the money he sent back to them. Maybe they thought they didn’t have any choice.”

Celes sighed, leaning back against the wall. “Maybe,” she said, “but you and I know that there’s _always_ a choice.” She gave Terra a little half smile and shrugged. “C’mon. There’s nothing we can do for them now. Sabin said he’s found evidence that Duncan came through this way on his way north, so we’re going to head up and see if we can see anything from the air.” She hesitated. “But if you need another few minutes...”

“No, no, I’m okay,” Terra said, and she and Celes walked out of the cavern. “I don’t even really know why I wanted to come here. You’re right, there’s nothing else we can do. They’re just... two more senseless casualities of Kefka’s war.” She looked back into the cavern, shaking her head. “It’s time we stopped him, once and for all.”


End file.
